Is Drooping Leucothoe deer resistant?
Leucothoe fontanesiana
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Drooping Leucothoe
Arching evergreen shoots with new growth in bronze-red, and one of very few broadleaf evergreens deer reliably leave alone in a shaded bed. It has narrow requirements and fails visibly outside them. It wants acid soil, consistent moisture and shade, and it scorches badly in afternoon sun: leaves go brown at the margins and the plant looks burnt by August. A north or east aspect under high shade is the right place. Leaf spot is common in humid summers and worse where air does not move. Thinning old stems out at the base rather than shearing the outside helps more than spraying. Cut winter-damaged shoots right down in spring. It regrows from the base readily.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 4.5 to 6
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 59 to 94 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Similar to Drooping Leucothoe
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Arrowwood ViburnumViburnum dentatumZones 2–8Rarely damaged
- BarberryBerberis sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BayberryMyrica pensylvanicaZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Blue Mist ShrubCaryopteris clandonensisZones 6–9Rarely damaged
- BoxwoodBuxus sempervirensZones 5–8Rarely damaged
- BroomCytisus sp.Zones 5–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
Where Drooping Leucothoe grows
Hardy across most of these 41 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticut
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Texas
- Colorado
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- West Virginia
- Kentuckynative
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 11 US states in total.
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Every list Drooping Leucothoe belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Drooping Leucothoe
- Is Drooping Leucothoe deer resistant?
- Drooping Leucothoe (Leucothoe fontanesiana) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Drooping Leucothoe grow in?
- Drooping Leucothoe is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 6. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Drooping Leucothoe grow in shade?
- Yes. Drooping Leucothoe tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Drooping Leucothoe get?
- Mature height is roughly 24–72 in. Growth rate is slow.
- Is Drooping Leucothoe toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Drooping Leucothoe as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.